Press Release, 19.08.2022

Photo by Anatoly Zhdanov/Kommersant

The Yabloko party calls on the Central Electoral Commission to cancel the decision of the Moscow City Electoral Commission on the use of electronic voter lists in the upcoming Moscow municipal elections. Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov sent a corresponding appeal to Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Electoral Commission.

The decision to use electronic voter lists was made by the Moscow City Electoral Commission on 11 August, less than a month before the voting days. Yabloko considers this decision an “abuse of the right”.

“Introduction of norms radically changing the entire process of voting which is made less than a month before the first voting day, disrupts the work of electoral commissions, observers and headquarters of candidates involved in the elections, significantly undermines confidence in the institution of elections in Moscow and questions the legitimacy of elected deputies,” Yabloko’s appeal to Ella Pamfilova runs.

The document also notes that as of 19 August, i.e. 17 days before the submission of lists of observers to the electoral commissions, normative documents and methodological recommendations for their preparation were not published. Moreover, there are no such documents in open access for members of electoral commissions with a casting vote.

In order to protect the rights of voters and other participants of the elections, as well as to prevent the emergence of conflict situations between observers, voters and members of electoral commissions, Yabloko calls on the Central Electoral Commission to cancel the decision of the Moscow City Electoral Commission and ensure that Moscow elections are held within the previously established procedures.

“We consider the practices of making changes to electoral procedures after the start of the electoral process unacceptable,” Nikolai Rybakov writes in the appeal.